This article is about the earthquake that affected Zagreb in the spring of 2020. For the winter earthquake that also affected the city, see2020 Petrinja earthquake.
At approximately 6:24 AMCET on the morning of 22 March 2020, anearthquake of magnitude 5.3Mw, 5.5ML, hitZagreb,Croatia, with anepicenter 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the city centre.[1][5][6][7] The maximum felt intensity was VII–VIII (Very strong toDamaging) on theMedvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale. The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of 5.0.[8] It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb since the1880 earthquake and caused substantial damage in the historical city center.[9][10] More than 1,900 buildings were reported to have been damaged to the point of becoming uninhabitable.[11] The earthquake was also felt inSlovenia.[12] At least 27 people were injured by the earthquake, including a teenage girl who later died from injuries caused by falling debris on 23 March. Four days later, a construction worker fell to his death after attempting to repair a building damaged by the earthquake.
Thefocal mechanism of the earthquake indicates reverse faulting on a west-southwest–east-northeast trending fault. This is consistent with movement on a structure associated with the North Medvednica Fault.[14]
More than 30aftershocks were recorded within seven hours of the main tremor,[24] with over 100 aftershocks associated with the earthquake, however, most were weaker than 2.0 magnitude. By 14 April, 145 aftershocks greater than or equal to 1.3 Mw and 850 below 1.3 Mw were detected following the earthquake,[5] among which 8 were reported to be of magnitude 3.0 or greater with the largest being a 5.0 Mw event at 6:01 UTC according to the Seismological Service of Croatia.[8] After a period of lower seismic activity, several lower intensity earthquakes were recorded in June 2020.[25]
On 27 March, five days after the earthquake, measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic were reduced to allow the opening of shops selling construction tools and materials, in order to allow Zagreb residents to repair earthquake damage.[41] Starting with the following day, parking was temporarily made free in some of the affected neighbourhoods.[42]
Željko Kolar, the Prefect of theKrapina-Zagorje County, declared a state of natural disaster for the town ofDonja Stubica and the municipalities ofGornja Stubica andMarija Bistrica. After visiting the region, Plenković said that the damage from the earthquake is far more extensive than originally believed. The Ministry of Defence deployed 50 military drones to document the damage.[43][44]
Zagreb's administration initially stated that according to the applicable law, it would pay for up to 5 percent of repair costs for uninsured properties whose damage exceeded 60 percent of their value, which was the upper limit according to the law. Mayor Bandić said that 95 percent of the damage incurred by buildings in Zagreb's central areas could have been prevented by afaçade renovation project for which, he said, he had been unable to find support.[45] The following day, on 26 March,Minister of Construction and Physical PlanningPredrag Štromar announced amendments to the law and a special fund to help Zagreb, in agreement with Mayor Bandić.[46] Croatian Prime Minister Plenković met with Mayor Bandić on 30 March to discuss the consequences of the earthquake. Bandić said that the city cannot pay for repairs to private property, and that the "cause [of damage] is neglect of personal property",[47] adding that "those who invested in their property did fine."[47] The opposition criticised his statements as placing blame for the earthquake damage on homeowners.[48][49]
Due to snow, rain and cold weather in the days immediately following the earthquake, some of the residents took to repairing their homes on their own shortly after the earthquake.[50] On 30 March,Ministry of Construction and Spatial Planning announced it would finance repairs to damaged houses and flats.[51]
On 3 April, citizens of Zagreb, dissatisfied with Mayor Bandić's management of the city in the crisis situation,banged pots on their balconies at 7:00 PMCEST protesting under the initiative "Resign, it's your fault, it's been enough".[52] The action was repeated on 17 April. The organisers demanded housing for those rendered homeless by the earthquake, a "fair, transparent and speedy" renovation of the city, and that the city take advice from construction industry associations. These actions were a continuation of ongoing protests against Mayor Bandić which were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.[53][54]
Minister Štromar presented a draft of a law for the renovation of the damaged structures. The draft was criticised for suspending the regulation ofpublic tenders, not financing the repairs of structures whose owners own another property, requiring the residents to pay rent on flats offered as a temporary replacement, and lacking the qualifications to ensure that future earthquakes of the same strength will cause less damage.[55][56]
A state inquiry in the City of Zagreb budget found that the city was 1.9 billion kuna in debt (€250 million), and that the natural disaster fund had been "wasted" on various associations, religious community projects and festivities. Among other irregularities found, the income from monument annuities, collected from owners of buildings deemed worthy of preservation, was to be spent on projects renovating said buildings, but at the time of the revision, none of the renovation contracts had been closed.[57]
26,197 buildings are reported to have sustained damage, 1,900 of which are unusable.[11] Some neighbourhoods were left without electricity and heat,[32] and in some areas without internet. The earthquake caused several fires.[58] Most of the damaged buildings were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, well before a 1964 law, following the disastrousSkopje earthquake, which mandated that earthquake protection must be taken into account during the design and construction of buildings.[59] In particular, buildings made fromreinforced concrete – which was introduced as a construction technique in Zagreb in the 1930s – withstood the earthquake with negligible damage.[60]
Most of the museums in the city's centre were damaged by the earthquake, including theMuseum of Arts and Crafts, theCroatian History Museum, and the Schools Museum. The director of the Croatian History Museum said that their building is no longer statically safe. TheCroatian News Agency building was severely damaged, but it continued to operate and provide services to clients.[64] The Kolmar building onBan Jelačić Square, which housed theCroatian Writers' Association, lost one of its cupolas during the earthquake and the other had to be pulled down by firefighters as it was badly damaged.[65] Two buildings of the Komedija Theatre reported significant damage. Other theaters, including the 1895Croatian National Theatre, suffered no major damage.[66] Minor damage was also registered on theFaculty of Law, theCroatian Music Institute,[32] and theOrthodox Cathedral.[67]
The city's largest maternity hospital, the obstetrics department of theUniversity Hospital Centre in Petrova Street, was evacuated.[58] Also, 23 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools, 20 university faculties, and 18 institutes reported damage.[35] In Donja Stubica, Gornja Stubica, and Marija Bistrica 53 houses were completely destroyed and the total damage is estimated at more than 75 million kuna.[43][44]
On 17 April, explosive charges were used to remove the northern spire of Zagreb Cathedral.[68]
The nearbyKrško Nuclear Power Plant, in Slovenia, sustained no damage and continued to operate normally.[12] A 3-metre-wide (10 ft) sinkhole opened on the grounds of theStubičke Toplice Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital after the earthquake.[69]
FourInternet autonomous systems in Croatia had gone offline as a consequence of the earthquake, causing the disruptions in Internet access, but connectivity was restored by the next day.[70]
On 17 April, the northern spire of Zagreb Cathedral was removed due to leaning during the earthquake.[71][68][72]
Minister Štromar presented an estimate by the Civil Engineering Faculty in Zagreb on the total damage from the earthquake. According to the estimate, the damage in Zagreb and the surrounding area is around 42 billion kuna, or 5.6 billion euros.[73] The figure was later revised to 86 billion kuna or €11.5 billion.[13]
Zagreb cathedral lacking its spires.
A building inIlica Street damaged by the earthquake.
Seventeen people were reported injured on 22 March, with a 15-year-old girl in critical condition.[74][75] Three people were injured in theKrapina-Zagorje County, 11 in Zagreb and three in theZagreb County.[2] On the next day ten more injuries were reported, making a total of 27 people injured.[76] On 23 March, the 15-year-old girl from Zagreb, who was in critical condition, died, succumbing to her injuries.[77] She is the first recorded victim of the earthquake.[78]
On 27 March, a volunteer construction worker fell to his death from a building while he was repairing damage from the earthquake.[4]
European Union — Croatia activated the Civil Protection Mechanism on the day of the earthquake.[83] EU'sCopernicus Programme provided help in mapping the affected areas.[84]
France sent 3 ten-person tents, 120 beds, and 120 sleeping bags.[81]
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